Team news

Thanopoulos urges unity AEK Athens president and managing director Nikos Thanopoulos has urged everyone at the club to "become a family again" to turn around a disappointing run of results.

The team are seventh in the Greek Super League with just three wins from nine games so far and have only three points from their first three games in Europa League Group I going into Thursday night's meeting with Belarusian side BATE, who beat them in the return fixture in Minsk a fortnight ago.

Thanopoulos met with coach Dusan Bajevic and the players this week at the club's Thrakomakedones training centre in a bid to spark an improvement and told www.sport.gr: "There are demands from you because you are good players.

"We all have responsibilities - the administration, the coach and the players. We all share the negative results.

"We need to become a family again as a team and get good results and people will join us and support us again. You need to do justice to yourselves and to the history of the team. That is why people have been angry." AEK will be without Grigorios Makos after the defender suffered bad bruising to his thigh during the week. Fellow defender Daniel Majstorovic was also left out of the 19-man squad named by coach Dusan Bajevic because of a chest injury suffered by the Swede.

BATE are level with AEK on three points after beating the Greeks last time out but trail Benfica and Everton, who both have six.

Missing from Viktor Goncharenko's party for the trip to Athens was Igor Stasevich due to injury, along with Vitali Bulyga, who is struggling for match-fitness, and Hovhannes Goaryan who is struggling with an illness.

AEK Athens vs BATE

Last modified 22:32 05/11/09

AEK and BATE still in the hunt AEK Athens and Europa League visitors BATE Borisov are both still in with a chance of progressing to the next stage after this hard-fought Group I draw.

Ismael Blanco had AEK in front in under 30 seconds of a hectic first half, which also featured a Vitaly Rodionov equaliser, a second BATE goal from Alexander Volodko and finally a second too for the hosts - from Gustavo Manduca.

With leaders Benfica winning at Everton to make the second-placed Toffees suddenly vulnerable, all is still to play for - with two matches remaining.

Athens were in front when Blanco beat Sergey Veremko with a right-foot shot from inside the area, after a pass was threaded through by Krisztian Nemeth.

Pantelis Kafes' header on the end of Gustavo Manduca's corner flew just wide as Athens threatened again in only the fourth minute.

Kafes tried his luck again but missed from the edge of the area - and with chances continuing to flow at either end, it was no surprise when BATE got the equaliser in the 17th minute.

Skavysh's pass found Rodionov, who scored right-footed from the edge of the area.

Eight minutes later, BATE were in front - in dramatic fashion too, Volodko beating Diego Saja in the bottom right corner with a searing shot from 35 yards.

Alexander Yurevich almost extended the lead with a right-foot shot from 20 yards, which hit the post, and Volodko shot over from similar range.

Yet in the 38th minute, it was Yurevich who committed the foul on Ignacio Scocco which conceded the free-kick for AEK's leveller.

Scocco floated the ball in, and Manduca easily beat Veremko with his header into the top corner.

AEK were within inches of regaining the lead when Manduca hit the bar with his left-foot shot from inside the area eight minutes after the break - and Nemeth brought a useful save out of Veremko before the hour.

Nemeth kept threatening from dangerous positions, and BATE looked up against it after defender Igor Shitov was sent off for a second yellow card - but a Scocco shot from distance which hit the post in the 79th minute and then a corner from the same player which needed a save from Veremko were the closest anyone came to a winner.